Bexley mum 'in limbo' waiting seven months for tutor for son

Gemma Ekrem, 39, had three children attending Old Bexley Church of England Primary School until the most recent school year.

Her six-year-old son Harley has global development delay and an autism spectrum disorder, with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) in place to address his needs. The mum took her three children out of Old Bexley last year after an incident on March 30 recorded on CCTV showed Harley running out of the school site towards traffic.

The mum said she decided not to send her children back to the school as they were too traumatised after the event, which she claims is supported medically. She said she then had a call with an educational welfare officer at Bexley Council in April who said they would be sending officers to Ms Ekrem’s home.

Ms Ekrem told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “My husband spoke to them through the Ring doorbell. They put a threatening letter through our letterbox, threatening court action.”

She added: “There’s just no compassion with what we’ve gone through and they just weren’t even interested in my side of the story. It was all about getting them back into school so they can tick boxes.”

Gemma Ekrem (Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga)

The mum said an emergency annual review of Harley’s EHCP in the weeks following the incident on March 30 concluded it was a serious safeguarding breach which correspondence seen by the LDRS appears to support. She said the review also said Harley was to receive one to one tutoring at home instead of returning to Old Bexley.

Ms Ekrem said she had asked for a tutor to be provided by the council for her children after they had been out of school for 15 days, but was told the authority would arrange for schoolwork to be sent to her home instead. However, the mum said the work provided was not catered for her children’s needs.

She added that she filed a complaint against the council on how the educational welfare officer acted but did not receive a response for two months. While the response led to Harley receiving a tutor last November, she felt the process of obtaining one became more complicated by several council officers resigning.

She said: “I’ve been emailing them thinking they’re not getting back to me but they’ve left. They don’t have the courtesy to let parents know. So you’re in limbo thinking my kid’s got no speech and language lessons.”

She added: “It took me about seven months to get tutors from Bexley Council. I should have had this within 15 days of them being out of school.”

Ms Ekrem also claims Old Bexley was not sending paperwork on time to the children’s centre in Queen Mary’s Hospital to arrange Speech and Language Therapy lessons for Harley while he was attending. She said a staff member at the school told her a chunk of the budget for Harley’s EHCP had been spent but the mum is unaware what this was for.

She said: “I’ve reported it to Bexley Council. They said they’re going to recoup the money and let finance know but they’re not taking any action against the school.”

Ms Ekrem said Harley is still not attending school as he has not been enrolled anywhere else and her eldest son has since started secondary school. A response from the trust that runs the school, Amadeus Primary Academies Trust, to Ms Ekrem last November said that the council is now receiving funding for Harley’s EHCP and is providing the necessary work to ensure education is provided while she awaits a place at a specialist school.

Regarding Ms Ekrem’s case, an Old Bexley Church of England spokesperson told the LDRS: “For confidentiality reasons, we are not able to comment on specific details relating to an ongoing matter. However, addressing any concerns raised by our parents is of utmost importance to us.”

They added: “Our commitment to maintaining a safe and secure environment for all members of our educational community is unwavering. We take every complaint seriously and handle them in accordance with our comprehensive Complaints Policy. Safeguarding remains our top priority and we work diligently to ensure a strong and focused approach in this regard.”

The Old Bexley spokesperson said the school is dedicated to continuously improving safeguarding practices and prioritises the safety and wellbeing of students and staff. They said the school collaborates with an external company that independently oversees safeguarding measures. They added that the findings of complaints are viewed as an opportunity to enhance protocols.

A Bexley Council spokesperson told the LDRS: “We believe that education is vital to our children and young people and it is because of this that officers from a number of departments have been in contact with Ms Ekrem over the past few months.”

They added: “While we are not able to provide the details of an individual child or children we would say that we have supported Ms Ekrem’s family and will continue to do so. We are keen to address Ms Ekrem’s concerns and would welcome the opportunity to meet with her to discuss them.”